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Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners
There’s a big difference between judgment and love, obligation and freedom, a wage and a gift. The difference characterizes an extraordinary amount of our day-to-day experience, often dividing fear from hope, and death from life. At the heart of Christianity lies a similar and related dynamic: between the Law and the Gospel. Far from being a reductive or antiquated distinction, understanding where one ends and the other begins allows a person to see both the Bible and themselves—indeed, the whole world!—in a fresh and enlivening way. Written with the non-theologian in mind, this short volume unpacks the good news of God’s grace with practicality, humor, and a whole lot of heart.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2015
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187 people want to read
About the author
William McDavid
5 books11 followersMcDavid grew up in Central Georgia, studied religion and economics at the University of Virginia, and has been has been employed by Mockingbird ministries since then. His interests include medieval theology, local delicatessens, and the outdoors. In 2012, Will edited the book-length "Grace in Addiction" and in 2013, he edited "PZ’s Panopticon." Will currently oversees Mockingbird’s publications and is hard at work on an ungodly number of projects, including the forthcoming "These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty." He is the author of "Eden and Afterward: A Mockingbird Guide to Genesis." His favorite books are Augustine’s On the Trinity and Whit Stillman’s The Last Days of Disco, With Cocktails at Petrossian Afterwards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 20, 2022
The Radical/Contemporary Grace Movement has connections to Radical Two Kingdom theology, especially in the (often denied) heavy reliance on Luther's distinction between Law and Gospel. I counted 17 references to Luther or Lutheran theology (pp. 14, 20, 33, 34, 48n23, 97, 62, 66, 67n35, 71, 74, 82, 85, 90, 97), and one reference to Calvin (p. 67n35). This reference brings up Calvin's "third use of the law" only to dismiss it. What the authors conveniently ignore is the fact that Calvin calls the third use of the law the principle and most proper use. For more on this issue, see the posts here. Melanchthon, Luther's successor, is more in alignment with Calvin on this issue (see Loci Communes).
In the early section, the authors pay lip-service to the goodness of the law (pp. 19, 25, 27), almost as if they can avoid criticism later (hey, we mentioned it). But the last parts of the book (pp. 65-91), by far the worst, have no connection to the earlier parts that mention the goodness of the law. Any positives that come from the law are only in the first and second uses (as a mirror and as a restraint), and the third use is mocked, as it is in Duguid's book. The view of "grace" in both this book and Duguid's book seems to be that grace is not transformative, but rather covers our sins like a whitewash. Christians are not made new; we remain totally depraved, even with the indwelling Holy Spirit, but it's okay because Jesus still loves us. How comforting. It's okay that a husband routinely abuses his wife and children, both verbally and physically, because brokenness is beautiful. Right. "Hey, Israelites! You know how you were in bondage in Egypt? Guess what! Now you're free in Christ." Cool, so how are things going to be different now? "Well, they're not. You're still stuck in Egypt doing the same things you've always done. You're still a slave. But God looks at you differently now. Neat, huh?" God doesn't pull you out of the pit; He leaves you there, but smiles down at you from up above. You're not a new creature, because that would just lead to spiritual pride. What you really need is to be left in your sins so that you constantly see your need for Jesus. Gag.
The "brokenness is beautiful" line sounds radical and paradoxical and almost attractive in its non-judgmental appearance, but if we remember that the law is what love looks like (i.e., obedience to godly laws demonstrate your love for God and for your neighbors), we see that lawlessness is what hatred looks like (i.e., breaking laws shows your hatred for God and for others). So "brokenness is beautiful," if applied to shortcomings regarding God's moral law, is another way of saying that hatred is beautiful. Disobedience is beautiful. The reason this kind of "grace" is so dangerous is that the aversion to preaching any kind of exhortation (e.g., obey God's law) leads directly to a contentment with sin, not a remorse over it and a forsaking of it.
A few questions:
1. Does every law accuse (pp. 24-28)? Laws of logic? Laws of physics? Other natural laws? The prelapsarian moral law? Since the law is a reflection of God's character, the law will be implicit in eternity. Because our natures will conform to God's holy nature, laws will be unnecessary, because we would obey them perfectly if they existed.
2. Is a response to the Law always counterproductive / desperate (p. 39)? Even for Christians who are trying to obey? If not, does that mean every Christian ought be despairing with respect to sanctification?
3. Why is the theology of Robert Farrar Capon mentioned favorably (pp. 49n24, 52n27, 72n40)? His Supper of the Lamb is very good, but his theology is spotty (and the bad parts are really bad). For example, he loves the explicit inclusion of the Gentiles in the New Covenant, but he hates Paul's moral condemnations, especially with regard to sexuality (he compares Paul to a creepy Jewish uncle). Capon is also often accused of being a universalist, and even though he denies this, the charge arises repeatedly because of what he says about grace.
4. Have any of the authors read much on the theology of "the gift" (pp. 50-54)? Peter Leithart's Gratitude is helpful in achieving a more sophisticated understanding of gifts.
For a far better study on God's law and the Christian, buy this inexpensive teaching series.
Mockingbird Ministries, who published this book, supports the work of Sarah Condon, an ordained priest in the Episcopalian Church. She is a speaker at one of Mockingbird's 2017 conferences. This is not a minor theological issue.
Bethke's book might be related. I liked this review.
In the early section, the authors pay lip-service to the goodness of the law (pp. 19, 25, 27), almost as if they can avoid criticism later (hey, we mentioned it). But the last parts of the book (pp. 65-91), by far the worst, have no connection to the earlier parts that mention the goodness of the law. Any positives that come from the law are only in the first and second uses (as a mirror and as a restraint), and the third use is mocked, as it is in Duguid's book. The view of "grace" in both this book and Duguid's book seems to be that grace is not transformative, but rather covers our sins like a whitewash. Christians are not made new; we remain totally depraved, even with the indwelling Holy Spirit, but it's okay because Jesus still loves us. How comforting. It's okay that a husband routinely abuses his wife and children, both verbally and physically, because brokenness is beautiful. Right. "Hey, Israelites! You know how you were in bondage in Egypt? Guess what! Now you're free in Christ." Cool, so how are things going to be different now? "Well, they're not. You're still stuck in Egypt doing the same things you've always done. You're still a slave. But God looks at you differently now. Neat, huh?" God doesn't pull you out of the pit; He leaves you there, but smiles down at you from up above. You're not a new creature, because that would just lead to spiritual pride. What you really need is to be left in your sins so that you constantly see your need for Jesus. Gag.
The "brokenness is beautiful" line sounds radical and paradoxical and almost attractive in its non-judgmental appearance, but if we remember that the law is what love looks like (i.e., obedience to godly laws demonstrate your love for God and for your neighbors), we see that lawlessness is what hatred looks like (i.e., breaking laws shows your hatred for God and for others). So "brokenness is beautiful," if applied to shortcomings regarding God's moral law, is another way of saying that hatred is beautiful. Disobedience is beautiful. The reason this kind of "grace" is so dangerous is that the aversion to preaching any kind of exhortation (e.g., obey God's law) leads directly to a contentment with sin, not a remorse over it and a forsaking of it.
A few questions:
1. Does every law accuse (pp. 24-28)? Laws of logic? Laws of physics? Other natural laws? The prelapsarian moral law? Since the law is a reflection of God's character, the law will be implicit in eternity. Because our natures will conform to God's holy nature, laws will be unnecessary, because we would obey them perfectly if they existed.
2. Is a response to the Law always counterproductive / desperate (p. 39)? Even for Christians who are trying to obey? If not, does that mean every Christian ought be despairing with respect to sanctification?
3. Why is the theology of Robert Farrar Capon mentioned favorably (pp. 49n24, 52n27, 72n40)? His Supper of the Lamb is very good, but his theology is spotty (and the bad parts are really bad). For example, he loves the explicit inclusion of the Gentiles in the New Covenant, but he hates Paul's moral condemnations, especially with regard to sexuality (he compares Paul to a creepy Jewish uncle). Capon is also often accused of being a universalist, and even though he denies this, the charge arises repeatedly because of what he says about grace.
4. Have any of the authors read much on the theology of "the gift" (pp. 50-54)? Peter Leithart's Gratitude is helpful in achieving a more sophisticated understanding of gifts.
For a far better study on God's law and the Christian, buy this inexpensive teaching series.
Mockingbird Ministries, who published this book, supports the work of Sarah Condon, an ordained priest in the Episcopalian Church. She is a speaker at one of Mockingbird's 2017 conferences. This is not a minor theological issue.
Bethke's book might be related. I liked this review.
September 23, 2021
What can I say? This little book should be in the hands of every Christian (and non-xian). It’s pure, unadulterated, 100 proof good news. Toss out the religious self-help, the sermons promising transformation, the books telling you to change, and for once hear the news that something outside you, your control, your efforts, your good intentions, has been done and finished for you.
May 2, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. My response to it was a deep breath, a chuckle at the ridiculous weight of the law off my shoulders, and a desire to just rest in my forgiveness.
August 22, 2018
This is my second time through this book. Here is the exquisite condensation of immense biblical wisdom. Here the "two words" from God of law and grace are parsed, explored, applied. If pastors and congregations would read and study this book, we would experience a profound shift in the moralistic, anxiety-producing, hopelessness-generating direction that most of American Christianity has gone. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
May 15, 2019
I really loved moments of this book. Like really loved them. But ultimately gave it 3 stars because of a truncated view of the Law of God. The authors leave Calvin's 'third use' of the Law to a small footnote. And the footnote pretty much says that the 'third use' wasn't a big deal for Calvin and causes us to look inward. Also, there is no discussion about the psalmist's words of delighting in God's Law. This is very unfortunate.
This book should have got 5 stars. Since there are some beautiful and fantastic moments I will still recommend this book, but with a side of caution due to this remarkable exclusion of the 'third use'.
This book should have got 5 stars. Since there are some beautiful and fantastic moments I will still recommend this book, but with a side of caution due to this remarkable exclusion of the 'third use'.
September 3, 2019
Terrific stuff here in this little primer that's more than a primer. Definitely would recommend to anyone, at any stage, wanting to make sure they understand the relationship between law and grace — and the ways we often complicate and confuse the two.
February 6, 2017
“Just as any honest religion must confront the fact of our death head-on, any honest religion must also address precisely that child, the true self behind the hardened armor of self-justification and adaptation and calculation and coping and control. We may have the illusion of moral self-mastery when Moses tells us not to murder, but what about when Jesus says we’ll be liable to hell-fire for insulting someone?”
Were someone to ask me for the simple summation of my theological underpinnings, I’d point them to this slim little book, which elegantly explains the law and the gospel, and overall, the unending grace of Jesus. A well-executed summary, and I found the appendices particularly helpful.
Were someone to ask me for the simple summation of my theological underpinnings, I’d point them to this slim little book, which elegantly explains the law and the gospel, and overall, the unending grace of Jesus. A well-executed summary, and I found the appendices particularly helpful.
August 16, 2020
My husband recommended it to me and I have to admit it was a great read. Refreshing to read pop psychology and well-being advice that is coming from a different place than just contesting peak capitalism.
May 27, 2015
Short and very sweet
I could have been spared many detours and painful times if I had read something like this years ago. Without pretense. Straight to the point.
I could have been spared many detours and painful times if I had read something like this years ago. Without pretense. Straight to the point.
April 11, 2022
I am deeply interested in grace, and this book benefits from touching upon it and other subjects of supreme interest, not only to me but to everyone.
However, I found the authors simply illogical on more than one occasion and their arguments not sufficiently "buttoned up." For example, in a book about law and gospel, to make a compelling case one must be precise with use of the term, law. Unfortunately, the authors vary in their usage of this term. I'm not sure they're aware of even, for example, quoting Paul's use of law in the Mosaic sense to make a point about law in the universal, moral sense. Often, the authors speak of law when they really mean expectation.
Overall, the book is too sloppy for me. Its argumentation is often mistaken and breathes too little Scripture. A theology book that doesn't rely on the Bible and contains poor reasoning is bound to produce poor theology, as is the case here.
My favorite lines out of the book come from the authors speaking of Jesus Christ and our role as his ambassadors.
"The Gospel announces that we are justified by grace through faith; not by what we do, or even who we are, but by what Christ has done and who he is."
"We do not come up with our own message, but instead we simply declare the message that God has given us."
Consider and think on those two thoughts; they are worth much meditation. As for the rest of the book, I cannot recommend reading it.
However, I found the authors simply illogical on more than one occasion and their arguments not sufficiently "buttoned up." For example, in a book about law and gospel, to make a compelling case one must be precise with use of the term, law. Unfortunately, the authors vary in their usage of this term. I'm not sure they're aware of even, for example, quoting Paul's use of law in the Mosaic sense to make a point about law in the universal, moral sense. Often, the authors speak of law when they really mean expectation.
Overall, the book is too sloppy for me. Its argumentation is often mistaken and breathes too little Scripture. A theology book that doesn't rely on the Bible and contains poor reasoning is bound to produce poor theology, as is the case here.
My favorite lines out of the book come from the authors speaking of Jesus Christ and our role as his ambassadors.
"The Gospel announces that we are justified by grace through faith; not by what we do, or even who we are, but by what Christ has done and who he is."
"We do not come up with our own message, but instead we simply declare the message that God has given us."
Consider and think on those two thoughts; they are worth much meditation. As for the rest of the book, I cannot recommend reading it.
July 17, 2018
Great distinction between the law and gospel.
Some nice quotes out of the book:
"People who are addicted to control-which is all of us, religious or not-are addicted to the law as means of control. The sad irony of our lives is that our desire to be in control almost always ends up controlling us. For this reason, some would describe our relationship to the law as fatal attraction." p.31
"The measure of God's mercy is Christ. The signs of transformation as a result of the Gospel are mostly illegible, and the true saint would have little desire to read them if they were. The measure of the believer's state of virtue or holiness, therefore, is also Christ. We so often approach our faith as if it were a call to traverse the distance between man and God ensconced even in our language of growing "closer" to God." p.82
"The antidote to antinomianism , therefore, is not to sell people on linear, mensurable sanctification, but to preach the law in all its fullness . The condemning voice of conscience should be echoed in the pulpit and taken to its extreme, as Christ does in Matthew 5. The only genuine way to relate to the Law is to be utterly condemned by it. Anything less-including using it for exhortation-risks real antinomianism." p.91
Some nice quotes out of the book:
"People who are addicted to control-which is all of us, religious or not-are addicted to the law as means of control. The sad irony of our lives is that our desire to be in control almost always ends up controlling us. For this reason, some would describe our relationship to the law as fatal attraction." p.31
"The measure of God's mercy is Christ. The signs of transformation as a result of the Gospel are mostly illegible, and the true saint would have little desire to read them if they were. The measure of the believer's state of virtue or holiness, therefore, is also Christ. We so often approach our faith as if it were a call to traverse the distance between man and God ensconced even in our language of growing "closer" to God." p.82
"The antidote to antinomianism , therefore, is not to sell people on linear, mensurable sanctification, but to preach the law in all its fullness . The condemning voice of conscience should be echoed in the pulpit and taken to its extreme, as Christ does in Matthew 5. The only genuine way to relate to the Law is to be utterly condemned by it. Anything less-including using it for exhortation-risks real antinomianism." p.91
June 8, 2019
In less than 100 pages, some clarity between law and gospel is provided. One good quote, "American Christianity now is in crisis, in large part because people have marketed it as a religion of good people getting better, when in fact it is a religion of bad people coping with their failure to be good." The Law accuses, measures, condemns and gives us a sense of control over our lives. But the Law also brings judgment and death. The Gospel, on the other hand, brings freedom and life. The Good News is a Person, Jesus Christ, who removes the burden of the law, justifies us by faith, and produces the fruits of the Spirit. Yet the Gospel is for sinners and remains that way.
November 20, 2021
Simple to follow yet utterly grounded in Gospel truth. Between reading Luther and discovering the Mockingbird Ministry I have come to understand the difference between law and gospel and grasping this has turned my faith on its head. No longer enslaved and tormented by my guilt I have come to understand God’s grace… I knew the truth of the gospel before but it wasn’t until I understood the law/ gospel relationship and started to view the world through these lens that God’s grace and forgiveness, through the death and resurrection of Christ, became tangible and real to my everyday experience! Highly recommend this book!
December 10, 2025
This book was a breath of fresh air—an honest, grace-soaked exploration of faith, failure, and freedom. Zahl masterfully dismantles the exhausting pressure to perform and replaces it with the liberating truth of God’s unconditional love. His writing is empathetic, insightful, and deeply pastoral, offering a message that feels both timeless and urgently needed today. This book is a must-read for anyone weary of striving and ready to rest in grace.
May 30, 2022
I couldn’t put this book down.
I chose this book for an evening of study to prepare to write my book on why we should pray the Our Father.
And I received mote than I deserved. As is always true with God’s grace.
If you are seeking an understanding of the relationship of Law and Gospel read this book.
I chose this book for an evening of study to prepare to write my book on why we should pray the Our Father.
And I received mote than I deserved. As is always true with God’s grace.
If you are seeking an understanding of the relationship of Law and Gospel read this book.
October 29, 2022
The authors point the reader to the work done by Christ for the believer, this is their focus and the theme woven throughout this brief easily understood work. How refreshing it is to hear the Good News of Christ Jesus proclaimed rather than the burdensome moralistic good advice that so many hear from the pulpit today. His justifying work is done, it is finished!
May 4, 2023
An easy to read rehash of Luther's argument about the distinction between Law and Gospel; like Luther, it makes a ton of sense when applied to one's internal life but falls apart when applied to a community of the faithful, especially those who believe Christ's death and resurrection is transformative.
October 4, 2018
A rich work on the law/gospel hermeneutic. Personally, I find that if this hermeneutic is pushed too far, it can produce some unhelpful dualisms but it has a useful place in the preaching of the Gospel.
December 30, 2018
This book is very well written! It lays out some difficult concepts in unique ways. I especially like the analogy about gratitude toward the end of the book :) Highly recommend for help grasping law and gospel in the Christian faith.
May 15, 2019
Why don’t you hear about this more in church?
Shows the need for a proper law and gospel distinction in such a clear and common sense way! I’d recommend this to any believer young and old!
Shows the need for a proper law and gospel distinction in such a clear and common sense way! I’d recommend this to any believer young and old!
July 25, 2019
So much I love in distinguishing between law and gospel in this book. But it often lacks exegetical support which is concerning and it pushes I feel to far away from the need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
July 24, 2022
Forde said, “Theology is the happy science concerned with the task of pointing to him whose yoke is easy, whose burden is light.“ This book is a primer for that happy science. It is a text that can (and should) be read over and over again as a reminder of the sweetness of the Gospel.
January 27, 2024
Terrific easy read with immense Gospel Truth! Cites much of Luther’s work and creates an incredible clear distinction of the Law and the Gospel!
Simple enough for the newest believer and rich enough for the most seasoned theologian!
Simple enough for the newest believer and rich enough for the most seasoned theologian!
October 16, 2020
This book will help you see Jesus and His love for us in a new way, refreshing and even more powerful with each chapter. Great book, and only 84 pages, so a quick read!
February 2, 2024
A good book on the Law/Gospel Distinction by Mockingbird Ministries. It's sort of like "Who Will Deliver Us" or "Grace in Practice" by Paul Zahl for dummies. Great book and worth your time.
February 6, 2017
Good Book on Law and Gospel.
July 2, 2015
Law Gospel is a new book by Mockingbird Ministries. I posted a link to an excerpt on my website about a month ago. At that time I mentioned that I was excited to get a copy to review. I’m glad that I did. This small book is an outstanding treatise on the different roles that both the Law and the Gospel play in our lives. There wasn’t much that I didn’t like about this book. The parts that I didn’t care for were due more to me wanting the authors to dive deeper into certain ideas; specifically the chapter on the fruits of the Gospel.
The real value in this book lies in its clear distinction between Law and Gospel. This is no doubt due to Luther’s influence and it is an idea that Reformed believers such as myself see in our own confessions. The distinction between Law and Gospel is not distinctively Lutheran. However it is a strength of Lutheran theology and a distinction which is often overlooked by the Reformed traditions (the idea of the Law Gospel distinction is still alive in Reformed theology however. For an example, read R. Scott Clark’s work over at the Heidelblog).
The authors do a good job making applications to real world scenarios which most people would recognize in their own lives. I was particularly struck by the examples of grace as a free gift. This is a doctrine that I readily confess, but as the authors point out, we (or . . . I) often have a difficult time comprehending the idea that a gift can be free. This pathology in our thinking really hit home with me this week as I found myself the recipient of a gift from a friend that I could not possibly repay. Nor do I suspect that my friend expects to be repaid. It was a free gift which I could not turn down due to my circumstances and which I was helpless to produce on my own. Everything within me has been fighting to determine what I can do to repay my friend. The truth is that I cannot do anything but freely accept it and allow myself to humbly accept an extraordinary act of charity.
This is much how the free gift of grace was described in the book. When confronted with the grace of God, we want so desperately to repay him; but we can’t. The moment we try, we show ourselves to believe that we can earn the gift as a wage; as something which we merit. This served as a lawful use of the law, reminding me of my inability and propelling me to love deeper out of gratitude, and enabling me to obey by conforming me to Christ
If you are able to read this book I highly recommend it. Don’t skip over the appendices. They are gold. I can’t wait to read more from Mockingbird Ministries.
The real value in this book lies in its clear distinction between Law and Gospel. This is no doubt due to Luther’s influence and it is an idea that Reformed believers such as myself see in our own confessions. The distinction between Law and Gospel is not distinctively Lutheran. However it is a strength of Lutheran theology and a distinction which is often overlooked by the Reformed traditions (the idea of the Law Gospel distinction is still alive in Reformed theology however. For an example, read R. Scott Clark’s work over at the Heidelblog).
The authors do a good job making applications to real world scenarios which most people would recognize in their own lives. I was particularly struck by the examples of grace as a free gift. This is a doctrine that I readily confess, but as the authors point out, we (or . . . I) often have a difficult time comprehending the idea that a gift can be free. This pathology in our thinking really hit home with me this week as I found myself the recipient of a gift from a friend that I could not possibly repay. Nor do I suspect that my friend expects to be repaid. It was a free gift which I could not turn down due to my circumstances and which I was helpless to produce on my own. Everything within me has been fighting to determine what I can do to repay my friend. The truth is that I cannot do anything but freely accept it and allow myself to humbly accept an extraordinary act of charity.
This is much how the free gift of grace was described in the book. When confronted with the grace of God, we want so desperately to repay him; but we can’t. The moment we try, we show ourselves to believe that we can earn the gift as a wage; as something which we merit. This served as a lawful use of the law, reminding me of my inability and propelling me to love deeper out of gratitude, and enabling me to obey by conforming me to Christ
If you are able to read this book I highly recommend it. Don’t skip over the appendices. They are gold. I can’t wait to read more from Mockingbird Ministries.
June 1, 2015
On February 20, 2010 a major shift occurred in my life. The pastor of my church read Galatians 5:20-21 which says “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” I sat in the front of the church and wept. I think that was the day that I began to understand the difference between Law and Gospel.
If you have no idea what I am talking about, a new book, Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners and Saints, by William McDavid, Ethan Richardson, and David Zahl will provide a great introduction to the distinction. Briefly, God gave us both the law and the gospel but they have different roles. The law was never given as a means of salvation, the law was given to show each of us our absolute inability to live up to God’s perfect standard. It is the gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a sinless life, was crucified on the cross, and was raised again to new life on my behalf that provides the power to save. It is Jesus who did the saving.
The first half of the book is dedicated to exploring the role of the law and how it has overtaken many churches. From pulpits all over America, we hear messages of do more/try harder/pull yourself up by your bootstraps. But we fail, again and again. The law tells us what to do, but it is impossible for us to do it and so we stand accused. When people recognize their utter inability, lots of people give up.
But, like good sermons should do, the book begins with the crushing power of the law, but finishes with the life giving power of the gospel. The authors show us that because of Christ’s love for us, he alone accomplished our salvation as a free gift. Then, in my favorite part of the book, they looked at the fruits of the gospel, of what Jesus did. The fruits they listed include: humility, receptivity, gratitude, spontaneity, humor, and freedom.
If you have struggled to understand what Paul was talking about when he said that we are free in Christ, or what I mean when I saw the law/gospel distinction, please get this book.
If you have no idea what I am talking about, a new book, Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners and Saints, by William McDavid, Ethan Richardson, and David Zahl will provide a great introduction to the distinction. Briefly, God gave us both the law and the gospel but they have different roles. The law was never given as a means of salvation, the law was given to show each of us our absolute inability to live up to God’s perfect standard. It is the gospel, the good news that Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a sinless life, was crucified on the cross, and was raised again to new life on my behalf that provides the power to save. It is Jesus who did the saving.
The first half of the book is dedicated to exploring the role of the law and how it has overtaken many churches. From pulpits all over America, we hear messages of do more/try harder/pull yourself up by your bootstraps. But we fail, again and again. The law tells us what to do, but it is impossible for us to do it and so we stand accused. When people recognize their utter inability, lots of people give up.
But, like good sermons should do, the book begins with the crushing power of the law, but finishes with the life giving power of the gospel. The authors show us that because of Christ’s love for us, he alone accomplished our salvation as a free gift. Then, in my favorite part of the book, they looked at the fruits of the gospel, of what Jesus did. The fruits they listed include: humility, receptivity, gratitude, spontaneity, humor, and freedom.
If you have struggled to understand what Paul was talking about when he said that we are free in Christ, or what I mean when I saw the law/gospel distinction, please get this book.
June 4, 2015
I confess I had to read through this short book twice before it 'clicked' with me, but I'm glad I did. For some time now, I've benefited from the Mockingbird blog, their magazine, and their devotional, so I was interested in this book when it was published recently. It's a great, short overview of the primary theme of all their work, the distinction between the Law (which is good, but serves only to reveal our sin, not as the path to restoration with God) and the Gospel (the path to that restoration through faith in the work and sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf). It is an important distinction, but one that I would have to say I've missed for much of my Christian life. It seems clear to me now as I read in the book of Romans and elsewhere in the Bible, but it a book like this (and other similarly helpful resources) for me to start seeing this. I'd recommend this to every Christian. Read it twice!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews